


Boy of My Dreams

by ribbonelle



Category: Homestuck
Genre: (but not really y'know), Dreambubbles, M/M, OOC-ness probably, Somnophilia, awkward boys being awkward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-31
Updated: 2013-10-31
Packaged: 2017-12-31 00:50:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1025381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ribbonelle/pseuds/ribbonelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dave had a dream that wasn't quite a dream; and he's intent of figuring out what exactly happened.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Boy of My Dreams

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hunny Bunny](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Hunny+Bunny).



> super belated birthday fic for my buddy sam (bunnyknickers). i felt like whipping something up man aha i'm sorry this is ooc as heck but ahhh i wanted to write something for you sooo here <3  
> happy belated birthday, cutie!

For once, he has a dream about sex where it isn’t rough or hard or fast or full of obnoxiously loud moaning. There’s an actual figure straddling him, and he could feel slick skin underneath his fingertips. He’s balls deep inside the other person, and he’s moaning low as the figure slides up and down his cock, excruciatingly slow. It feels fantastic.

It feels like love.

There’s a desperate moment where he reaches up to grab at his lover for a kiss, preferably a harsh one but the other reciprocates with licks inside his mouth and gentle whimpers that only unravel him, making him melt. Something cool is coiling over his stomach and something else flutters over his head. There are ridges under his fingers when he drags his hands over the mystery person’s sides, and the groan he gets in response is fucking intoxicating.

A slick tongue drags over his lips and the figure ups the pace, making him writhe and gasp and moan a name that he cannot place, one he cannot remember, it’s so foreign on his tongue and--.

Dave wakes up.

//

The dream is really messing with his head. He’s had hot and sweaty dreams before, but nothing that vivid and certainly nothing with the exact amount of detail of a partner. He’s had dreams based roughly on people he knew in life ( ~~Jade, John, Kanye West~~ ) but nothing _that_ different. It almost felt like he had sex with a real person.

It’s driving Dave up the wall with curiosity.

They’re still passing through the bubbles, waiting for the other set of siblings to get to them. The bubbles are interesting enough, more trolls to get to recognize and it brings some variety to the environment. Dave’s daily routine consists of nothing more than hanging out with Terezi and the Mayor, practice his powers and receive the usual daily dose of Karkat’s bitching. Maybe even rap a little.

But he’s curious now, and Dave doesn’t particularly enjoy being curious. He wants answers and he wants them now.

So he corners Karkat after a while, folding his arms all business-like, tilting his head downwards just slightly so Karkat could see his eyes from the top of his shades, a sign that he means really serious business, “We need to talk.”

Karkat arches an eyebrow but he doesn’t seem to deny Dave’s request. After three years of being stuck with someone, they tend to eventually just get along. Nature. “Where?” he asks instead and Dave gestures over to the kitchen, nutrition block, whatever, and unfold his arms to make his way there. It’s a little far away from Terezi and the Mayor, as well as his ectosibling and her troll female version of Edward Cullen.

Dave hoists himself up the countertop then, looking at Karkat as the other simply leans against the fridge, whatever troll name they had for it, “So. What is this about?”

“Well, I dreamed of some mysterious person last night and I don’t know how they were there, or who they are, so help a bro, will you?”

Karkat frowns, definitely a little confused by the whole situation, “You dreamed? That’s weird. It is more likely that your sleeping self went into a stray bubble and stirred shit up to make you think it’s a dream. You probably met one of the bubble’s occupants. Who was it?”

Dave rolls his eyes even if Karkat couldn’t really see them. The message is clear by his body language; nevertheless, “That’s why I’m asking you for help, genius. I can’t figure out. Tell me about your fellow trolls, or something.”

“There’s me and Kanaya and Gamzee and Terezi, as you definitely fucking know—“

“I’m talking about the ones who died, Vantas. The ones I didn’t get to be all buddy-buddy with.”

The irritation on Karkat’s face is impressive enough to turn pretty flowers into compost, “A troll, then. There’s quite the number of us who fucking expired, Dave, there was Tavros and Feferi and Equius and--.”

“No, no,” Dave shakes his head, holding up two hands for Karkat to pause, “Describe them. Like I said, I’ve never met these guys so I don’t exactly know who the hell I saw. You gotta tell me what they look like.”

The troll doesn’t look particularly happy with the request, “There’s so fucking many of them, do you really expect me to tell you about each and every one?”

Dave realizes he might just have crossed a line somewhere, since Karkat looks a little more upset than he sounds. He softens his tone, a trick he’s learned along the way when it comes to asking for favours and dealing with emotional teenagers, including himself, “If you’d please. Just start with whoever you remember most?”

Karkat’s mouth quirks and it takes a while for him to fold his own arms and speak quietly, “There’s Eridan. Eridan Ampora. Real pretentious son of a bitch who’s also a seatroll; so fins and gills and all the like; dresses like an absolute douchebag and he wears a fuckton of rings. He’s not really a bad guy, just attention starved and he made all the wrong choices. Then there’s Nepeta. Weird kid, who liked to pretend she was a meowbeast, even had the tail and everything to look it. Threw cat puns around and had the enthusiasm of a newborn wriggler sucking on its lusus’ teat. Equius is her weird as _fuck_ moirail and-“, and so Karkat goes on.

Dave listens carefully, resting his head in his hands and tries to match Karkat’s descriptions to the images in his head. Good thing he’s great at the whole Strider poker face thing, because the images he’s conjuring aren’t really work-safe. Karkat finishes up with a rush over the whole Vriska-Terezi deal, and he closes his mouth.

“You look like you’ve figured it out. Have you?”

It takes a while for Dave to finally choose on a question; ranging from asking Karkat if he had ever gotten intimate with any of them but he settles on one less intruding, “The sea trolls. Eridan and Feferi? Either one of them, since the mention of fins…I think but I’m not sure. Not sure just yet.” He pauses for a moment before looking up at Karkat, “Tell me more about Eridan. How would you describe the way he looks?”

Karkat chews on his bottom lip in consideration and pipes up again, “Purple everything. Hair, clothing, blood. He’s second highest on the spectrum, so he’s royalty. Blood’s really chilly. He’s probably somewhat of a looker and more people would have noticed it if he hadn’t just went around trying to fish quadrants from people,” He goes silent for a millisecond, “Though I suppose it’s not fair to say that about him. He’s just lonely.”

Images flash through Dave’s mind again. Cold skin under his palms, chilled dampness over his heat. A wavering moan.  Someone gasping his name in the most peculiar way imaginable, but it really turned him on. Ridges under his fingers… “What about Feferi? Fish princess, right?”

“Yeah, had that aura of authority all over her. But she was also as enthusiastic as a squiddle on amphetamines, all shrill voices and big grins. She was nice though, I didn’t really know her that much. Knew enough to stay away when she started calling me Karcrabs. But Eridan always spoke nice things about her, till he went fucking cuckoo.”

Dave sort of realizes that he already has a gut feeling about who the mystery figure is, but he finds himself asking Karkat a few more questions nevertheless. His heart is beating a little too fast for his own liking.

“Thanks, man. For the info. I guess I’ll leave you alone now for the time being,” he casually asserts after a while and gets down from the countertop, ready to leave before Karkat’s voice stops him.

“Dave. Whoever it is, just don’t mess with them too much, yeah? Whatever your intention is. I’m pretty sure they could use a fucking break from the living for a while. They’ve been through quite a lot. Every single one of them.”

Dave glances back at him and nods, “Alright.” He waves lightly at Karkat before taking his leave, thinking to himself. The dead probably could use a break from the breathing, but he’s pretty sure a break doesn’t consist of riding a human till he screams.

//

It’s almost utter coincidence, as romantic as that sounds, but it’s more of a surprise to the both of them when they finally meet. Dave had been looking; that has been his intention from the very start; and in some way Eridan had been waiting. For what, he wasn’t too sure but isn’t that what he usually does? Wait for something that could happen.

Dave was strolling through the third bubble he’s visited and there Eridan was, sitting by one of the chapel-like monuments scattered around in the bubbles, reminiscent to his own land in the game previous. And now Dave’s standing in the distance, staring, just as Eridan’s staring at him back with white, milky eyes. He’s never meet Eridan before but from Karkat’s descriptions and from what flashes of memory he has in his brain, he feels like he shouldn’t have even thought twice about being sure that Eridan was his mystery person.

He can’t comprehend the sudden rush of blood to his face at the sight of Eridan (or even the rush of blood southward, in direct contrast).  It takes Dave a moment of recuperation before he strides confidently to the lone figure at the side of the building, and Eridan watches him curiously. If Eridan recognized him, he certainly didn’t let Dave know.

“Hey,” Dave starts out, thanking whatever deity they have for the levelness of his voice, “I haven’t seen you around before.”

It’s impressive how fascinated he is with the way Eridan Ampora arches a brow, and even more so how he felt about Eridan’s manner of speech, “Really? That’s new. I mean, it ain’t like you haven’t met a seadweller on Earth before, right?”

Dave couldn’t help a slight smirk at the sarcasm. It isn’t scathing nor meant to harm, more like a quirk just like how Karkat would tend to yell his words sometimes. “Exactly. I’m Dave Strider. Ampora, right?”

He holds out a hand for Eridan and the troll takes it after a moment’s hesitation. Chilly, almost rubbery skin met Dave’s own and it feels like his brain short-circuited with the sudden rush of memories. If he wasn’t sure before, he is sure as hell right now. “Nice to know they’re still speakin’ a me. Yeah, Ampora. Eridan, if you want my hatch name.”

Dave gestures casually to the space beside Eridan, “May I sit?”

“You may.”

So he sits down, trying a little more than hard to not stare at the sea troll, try to match his features to the ones in his mind. It’s scary how well Eridan fits in the picture. But it could be that it isn’t this particular Eridan who was in his dreams. Dave’s met enough selves already to know that timelines are infinite and most of anything is possible in the dream bubbles. It could have been another Eridan; even if Dave’s sure it _is_ some version of Eridan Ampora in his dreams.

Dave’s sort of hoping he wouldn’t have to look very far, if so.

“So,” he starts, slow and steady, “I was lying before.”

Both Eridan’s eyebrows raise and he seems to be a little more cautious than before. He doesn’t say anything, so Dave simply continues, “I have seen you around before. Once.”

It could just be Dave’s imagination or did Eridan’s jaw tighten a little at his statement, “Oh? I don’t recall seein’ you. Maybe you met some other me? There are a lot of us going around.”

“Maybe. I assume you wouldn’t know anything about one particular you who like to enter people’s dreams?” There is definitely some tension to Eridan’s features, “Do you like to get into foreign dream bubbles?”

The sea troll scoffs lightly, averting his eyes, “Depends. Usually not into the dreams of the livin’; most a us try to stick to the dead.”

It’s a lie if Eridan didn’t notice how Dave inches closer to him, expression hidden behind a patented poker face and his shades, “Oh really? At all? Have you maybe accidentally crashed into one? Because I’m pretty sure that’s how I met my Eridan.”

The look Eridan gives him is amazing, a mixture of surprise, apprehension and slight amusement all at once, “ _Your_ Eridan? Now ain’t that jumping to conclusions?”

Dave actually blushes at the slip of the word, and clears his throat before quickly replying, “Basically. My Eridan; the Eridan who was in my dreams. What’s the fucking difference?” Dave hopes to god that Eridan doesn’t notice the flustered edge to his voice, the redness in his cheeks. The dread that pools in his gut alerts him that Eridan might not be as dense as he hopes the troll would be.

Eridan lifts his head to tug at his scarf though, fiddling with it as he speaks, “Don’t think so. Haven’t been in a dream of yours. Why, though? Are you simply curious or is there any motive to why you’d want to know about this particular Eridan?”

“We’ve got, ah, unfinished business,” he answers, for the lack of a better term. Dave makes sure to watch Eridan carefully through the dark tint of his shades, “Maybe you know something about a you who’ve met a me in a dream under special circumstances?”

“Special circumstances,” Eridan repeats, interest clearly piqued now, “What the hell does that even mean?”

“Private affairs, Sir. I believe you are not allowed to intrude in such affairs, not even with simple information. Unless...” Dave lowers his voice conspiratorially, “You are withholding knowledge concerning the case and you are willing to share it with us. We might just let you in on this thing.” Eridan laughs lightly; Dave surprisingly loved the way he laughed; and shakes his head, hand covering his mouth in an almost demure fashion. He looks up at Dave with a smirk on his face and a noncommittal shrug.

“Maybe. I’m wondering what happened, though. And what’s your deal against that Eridan.”

Dave raises two hands in mock surrender, “Whoa, whoa. Calm down there. I never said I had anything against that Eridan. I had we have things to settle between us. You can never be too sure of the nature of my intentions. “

Eridan eyes him carefully before smiling, and getting off his case, “True. But as a related being to your so-called Eridan, I deserve to know what’s gonna happen to my other self when you finally meet him.”

It takes Dave a while to come up with something, before he looks away and leans back against the side of the building even more, “Talk to him. Ask him a few questions. See where it all goes from there.”

“Could you maybe mean harm? In any means at all?”

“I can’t say yet. I got too many questions in my head, so any action taken afterwards is based on his answers, I think? Hell man, I’m pretty damn confused right now to be perfectly clear, so I don’t know.”

The sea troll turns his face away after a while, letting out a rush of air in a quiet sigh. When he turns back to Dave, the purple tinges in his eyes are fixated on the ground; his face is the purplest shade of purple Dave had ever seen. It’s adorable in his eyes.

“Okay. It was me. You can break my jaw now.”

Dave stares at Eridan for a while and tries to stubbornly will away the inevitable, but it’s no use. He has a full blown blush and he wants to bury his face in his hands no matter how uncool that would seem. He doesn’t, though.

There’s a severely awkward silence before Dave clears his throat, leaning back against the wall, “Wow. Look at the trunkbeast in the room.”

That earns him a wry smile from Eridan, even if the blush remains, “Kar probably thought you some troll terms, huh?”

“Not really, I just used my noggin’ here to predict what you guys would come up with. It’s surprisingly simple. So. Anyway,” Another throat clearing session, “I’m not sure what aspects to my dream really happened so I sort of need you to confirm it.”

Eridan’s fin twitches a little, “It happened. I mean…I don’t know what you remember. But something happened.”

“Be a little specific, maybe?”

“…We did it. Okay?”

Dave stills another rush of blood to his face with great effort, just to see Eridan’s reaction to his next words, “So you really did ride me like an enthusiastic cowboy wanting to score the gold medal in the bull riding category?”

“ _Fuck_ ,” Eridan’s too purple for words now, and he buries his face in a hand, obviously more than flustered, “Oh my god, fuck you.”

He laughs at that, earning him a glare from the troll but he’s feeling so giddy by everything it’s hard to stop. It’s almost maniacal, to be true. He shakes his head lightly, and looks at Eridan again, “So…are you going to tell me what happened?”

Eridan keeps silent for a moment before he lets out a breath of air, and speaks slowly, “You were dreaming. In a stray bubble that I happened to be in. You were…” he pauses, white eyes flicking up at Dave as if he thought Dave’s going to reprimand him anytime soon, “You seemed like you needed some comfort. It’s not uncommon, I’ve seen a lot a you dream and get all curled up in balls like you’re fuckin’ dying, and I’ve been trying to comfort most a whoever I see, too.”

Dave’s eyes go wide, “So you mean you do the same with everyone else or--.”

The seadweller lifts a hand and he shuts up, getting the point. Eridan rubs at his face in slight frustration before scoffing, “I’m not a fuckin’ slut, Strider, despite rumors. No, I don’t fuck everyone I see having a bad time in their sleep in some random bubble. I…tried to pap them. A slut in some other sense, I guess, yeah,” Eridan looks fairly bitter with himself, “Just some pale gestures in the name of comfort. That’s why I tried to pap you too… but somehow it progressed.”

The eyebrow that Dave raises spurs Eridan on, shrugging and looking away, “You kissed me. And pulled me down with you so I figured, if that was what you needed, then I’d give it to you. It ain’t like I had anything to lose.”

Dave looks a little put off, “So in conclusion, you _let_ me fuck you because you think I needed it?”

“…Not really,” Eridan interjects, shrugging once again, “I wanted it too. I mean. I don’t know who you were thinking of but you were starting to tug my clothes off so I sort of…shit. I’m sorry, I guess. Might have presumed too much.”

Dave goes a little quiet with his thoughts before glancing up at Eridan again, “So…how was it?” It’s always glorious seeing that surge of color to Eridan’s face as he splutters. His fins are flat against his head in some display of annoyance.

“Do you really have to ask?”

“Well yeah, I don’t really remember exact details. Just little ones.”

The troll pauses before sighing, pointedly looking at the ground, “I guess you’re used to doing it rough, or something. But I’ve never been with a human before so I tried to bring it into a gentler direction. That’s all. You obviously know how it went down, from what you said before.”

The human’s eyes go a little wide behind his shades, “You’ve never been with a human before? Shit. I basically took your xenovirginity or something. Am I to be held responsible?”

“Hell no,” Eridan smirks, shaking his head, “No way. All of these dream bubble escapades are usually a one-time thing, or at least a thing that doesn’t hold any commitment to it. So don’t you even mention that.”

“Not like I’d give a shit if you wanted me responsible, though. I wouldn’t mind.”

“What?”

“Was it good?” Dave folds his arms, smirking over at the troll, “Have you had better? Or was I like a sex god in my sleep?”

Eridan snorts and leans back against the concrete behind him, mumbling things like, “What a fuckin’ cocky piece of shit seriously…” and speaks a little louder, “I don’t know. I ain’t going to inflate your ego or bring it down. You’ll never know.”

“Or maybe,” Of course Dave inches closer, the whole conversation has been leading up to this, “We can do what we did again and I’ll get first-hand experience that’s as clear as crystal.”

Eridan, apparently didn’t had the same line of thought as Dave did as he leans away with a furious blush, looking like a gasping fish, “ _What._ ”

“You heard me.”

“I did, and I think you’re fuckin’ crazy.”

“Eridan,” Dave starts, but Eridan’s leaning too far away so he has to surge forward and grab at the troll’s lapels to pull him back in place, and somehow in the process their faces are close together. Dave decides to fuck it and he leans in.

Dave had kissed a fair share of people in his life; not too many but enough for experience; but it’s the first time he’s ever felt like he melts when their lips touch, never felt an almost violent thump of his heart when Eridan makes a gentle noise. It’s over as soon as it started, and Eridan pushes gently at his chest, a dazed, confused expression on his face, “Dave, I’m dead.”

“Eridan, I’m practically immortal.”

“This isn’t goin’ to work.”

“I don’t fucking care.”

Eridan lets out a harsh sigh like he’s tired of the human, and a part of Dave recoils in fear of rejection but Eridan just rubs at his face again, leaning slightly away just so they’re not breathing the same air. ~~Which Dave wouldn’t have minded, to be honest.~~ The troll closes his eyes for a while, long enough for Dave to contemplate kissing him again just for fun but Eridan opens his eyes and smiles bitterly, “It’s not worth it. Trust me.”

Dave gets surprisingly irked at that, “Do you just not feel like you want to be with a human or what because if that’s it, then just fucking tell me so.”

“No!” Eridan looks offended, “It’s not that, but are you that fuckin’ desperate enough to go for someone who’s dead? There’s a lot a other fuckers out there living and well and you’re--!”

He jams a hand over Eridan’s mouth so he couldn’t speak, and Eridan’s glare is really intimidating. The troll ends up opening his mouth and _bites_ down on Dave’s skin and it actually fucking hurts, fucking mutant shark troll teeth, so Dave jerks his hand away and hisses, “Fuck. Jesus, did you really have to?”

Eridan licks his lips and folds his arms and Dave tries not to think about the red of blood staining his teeth before he licked it away, “I don’t like people interrupting my sentences.”

“Sorry. I won’t do that again. But you were spewing a lot of fucking bullshit. Look, from what I’ve gathered by the things you say, you’re looking for touch and affection and one night stands because you need it, and you justify that need by saying you help people in the dream bubbles.”

“Never said I was justifying myself,” comes the sombre mumble but Dave ignores it, and continues.

“Well whatever it is you want, I’m willing to provide. Pale shit, red shit, sex, just come to me. Easy. You don’t have to wait too long for someone to thrash in their sleep in some random-ass bubble. I’ll give you what you want.”

Eridan stares, and stares, before he grimaces and looks away, “Are _you_ the one trying to be a martyr now or what? Troll romance doesn’t work that way.”

Dave shakes his head, and bites the inside of his cheek for guts to say what he’s going to say next, “Look at it like this. I’m a human so I’m probably exempt from whatever fucking rule you trolls have. You want touch and affection from whoever you could get. I want those things too, but with someone who wants it as much so I don’t have to pine all one-sided like a fucking maiden waiting for the duke who would sweep her off her feet and take her hand in marriage.”

Of course Eridan’s still staring, “I lost you somewhere along the line. Sorry.”

“All I’m saying is,” Dave sighs, “It’ll do us some good. Right? You’re dead and I might fuck up and die and I just want an aspect in this existence where I don’t have to think about how fucking responsible we are for everything that’s happening. I just want something where I can focus on positive thoughts. Pleasure, mind-blowing sex, whatever. Something not too fucked up, at least. Don’t you want that too?”

There’s an almost painfully awkward silence before Eridan smiles blandly, shaking his head, “Doesn’t a pseudo-relationship thing with a troll counts as fucked up?”

Dave chuckles, “I’ve died so many times, I’ve seen dog hybrids and bird hybrids, I’ve spent fucking days in a place where everything was lava and weird mutant mini-crocodiles so trust me. This isn’t weird.”

Eridan laughs as well, and Dave takes the chance to lean forward again and kiss the troll, careful so his shades doesn’t collide with Eridan’s obnoxious glasses. He fails, but Eridan makes a soft sound and reaches to bury fingers in his hair, pulling at his locks and somehow it feels great, it feels amazing and Dave’s pretty sure he’s never made a better choice.

They make out for a few minutes, and Dave’s a little surprised how he doesn’t ever nick his tongue on Eridan’s freaky teeth. Some part of him thinks that Eridan might just have really exerted some self-control onto his movements. A part of Dave wants to see him lose it.

Eridan breaks their kiss with a light gasp and tilts his head, smiling, “So this probably means I’ll get to see you when you’re dreaming only, right?”

“And when I want to come bother you. Or vice versa, you’re allowed to approach the fucking meteor we’re on, you know. People visit. Some bullshit troll ancestors visit. Why don’t you?”

Something flickers in Eridan’s dead eyes but he leans to kiss Dave again, trail his lips over the side of Dave’s mouth, “Nah. Don’t feel like it.”

Dave has heard things about Eridan, things that aren’t great but he shifts over and wraps his arms around the seadweller, looking into Eridan’s eyes when the troll looks up at him in confusion.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to. Hell, you don’t need anyone, Eridan, it’s all a matter of choice. You don’t even need me, but I want you, and you coincidentally want me back. So don’t feel shitty about anything.” Dave realizes he’s talking a little too much and Eridan’s smiling softly, so he shuts up and lightly pushes Eridan down to the ground to coddle him, resulting in surprised laughter from the troll. He’s never been one for this much physical contact, but he’s a god and the world is ending, so he figures he can make some exceptions.

“Nice to know you have that much faith in me, Dave,” Eridan murmurs, his arms winding around Dave’s neck and he toys around with the short hairs above the human’s nape.

In return, Dave grins, and murmurs the same way, “You’re an independent sea dwelling troll who don’t need no peasant, right?”

Eridan’s laugh rings still in his ears hours after, and Dave thinks that things might just work, after all.


End file.
